This invention relates to cigarette packs, and particularly to a hinged top box for cigarettes.
Cigarettes are typically sold in packs of twenty to twenty-five cigarettes. Two types of packs are in general use. The first type is a soft pack which is a bundle of cigarettes wrapped in foil, overwrapped with a paper which usually has brand and other information printed on its outer side, and overwrapped again with a sealed polypropylene layer. The second type is a box which is a hard, paperboard box containing a foil wrapped cigarette bundle and having a hinged lid at the top. Typically, a paper-board insert surrounds the bundle at least near the top of the box providing a frictional engagement surface to retain the lid in the closed position when desired. A cutout in this insert allows a smoker to remove cigarettes from the box. This second type of pack is also overwrapped with a sealed polypropylene layer.
Each type of pack has its own advantages and disadvantages. The soft pack has soft corners, and collapses as cigarettes are removed from it, taking up less space in a smoker's pocket or purse as the contents are smoked, while providing an approximate external indication of the number of cigarettes remaining in the pack. However, once the polypropylene wrapper of a soft pack is opened, it cannot be resealed. As a result, cigarettes or any loose tobacco in the pack may eventually drop from the pack into the smoker's pocket or purse. The cigarettes can also be damaged if the pack is roughly handled. For these reasons, many smokers prefer a hinged top box, which can be reclosed to prevent loose tobacco from dropping out, and which offers better protection for the cigarettes within it. However, the typical cigarette hinged top box has hard corners which are necessary for the box to hold its shape. In addition, current hinged top box designs only allow for an angular shape profile and generally have imperfect miter alignment between the top and the body.